23 November, 2010

Undiagnosed Disease in Yemen, H5N1 in Hong Kong and Possible Ebola in Uganda

Mysterious outbreak in Hodaida Province (Yemen): Affecting Thousands, Five DeadWhile originally reported as a dengue fever in ourearlier blog post on the subject, an epidemic of what appears to be an unknown diseasecontinues to spread in western Yemen. Unconfirmed newspaper reports state the epidemic emerged approximately one month ago, reportedly disproportionately affecting women and children. Schools have been adversely affected in a number of towns due to both student and teacher absentees, as the illness and fear of it spread in the region. Attempts by the government tocalm the situation do not appear to be working.Known in Yemen as “Al Mukrifas” (المكرفس), most of its spread has been south of the province’s capital in rural areas in and around Zabid, Beit al Faqih, Jebel Ras, Al Jurrasi (Translates incorrectly as “Surgical” in Google Translate) and Al Khawkhah (which translates incorrectly as “nectarine in Google Translate). Reports vary, but up to 4 have died in Al Khawkhah and up to 5 in Jebel Ras. Symptoms include those similar to Dengue fever and an unspecfied “German fever”, including caugh, headache, swelling of the face and joints, myalgias and, occasionally,bleeding under the skin. Medical treatment has so far been supportive.Avian Influenza Case in Hong KongHong Kong reported its first diagnosis of H5N1 (avian influenza) since 2003. The 59 year old female patient had recently returned from a trip to mainland China where she visited Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou. The patient is reportedly slightly improved but still inserious condition, and China has stated thatno human cases have been detected in the cities she visited. The report triggered concern inTaiwan and thePhilippines. Possible Ebola Outbreak in UgandaLast week, a Ugandan newspaper reported amystery illness had caused 13 deaths in Abim and Agago districts in the north. The article quoted a local health official who said that Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa had been ruled out through lab work. The similarity to Ebola has been noted insubsequentarticles. We will continue to monitor the situation and report on any official diagnosis in this outbreak.Six Die After Eating Endangered Turtle MeatSix people died, including 4 children, andmore than 90 became ill after consuming meat from the endangered hawksbill turtle. The deaths were a result ofpoisoning from biotoxins in turtle flesh that has no known antidote. This event occurred in late-October on the Island of Murilo, Micronesia. Authorities have advised residents not to consume turtles or their eggs.Whooping Cough Cases Rising Throughout U.S.In the past week, we have received alerts about whooping cough in numerous states, includingIndiana,Iowa,Kentucky,Michigan,Missouri,New York,North Carolina, Oregon, andPennsylvania. Los Angeles County is reportedly having theirhighest number of cases ever, with more than a quarter of this year’s cases coming in the last month. Whooping cough is a very contagious respiratory disease caused by Bordetella pertussis. Infants are particularly vulnerable; about half of infected infants requirehospitalization and 1 in 100 hospitalized infants die from it. Whooping cough can be prevented by vaccination but over time adults may lose that protection. TheCDC recommends that adults get a booster when they receive their tetanus booster. New parents and grandparents should make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations.Rabies in GuangdongIt wasrecently reported that from January to October of this year, 228 people have died from rabies bites in Guangdong Province in Southern China. Most cases occurred among young children and older individuals in rural areas as a result of bites from rabid dogs. The report stated that 90% of the individuals who died did not seek care after being bitten. Surprisingly, over 50% of the cases did not come from bites by stray dogs, but by dogs from their own homes or neighboring homes. Experts say that in rural villages, domestic dogs frequently run loose and come in close contact with other dogs, causing the transmission of the rabies virus to be especially high. However, owners never suspect that their own dogs can become infected and do not take any necessary precautions.Vaccines exist to protect both animals and humans from the virus.

About HealthMap

HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization). Through an automated text processing system, the data is aggregated by disease and displayed by location for user-friendly access to the original alert. HealthMap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers.